Tuesday, April 29, 2014

What is an Animal Totem?

Nowadays when I see a wild animal, I do not simply see an animal;
I try to understand the spiritual significance of that animal. To me, this is what Animal Totem means. According to my favorite website on animal totems,

"The animals
express the spirit nature of that species and exemplify qualities we can learn
from. They are psychological and spiritual symbols that convey to us qualities
we are needing or lacking in our daily lives. They are a mirror of us reflecting
our own innate qualities to help ourselves better understand our connection to
all things."

If you pay attention to nature or simply look around, there
are animals everywhere. When you see the
same animal over and over again, you need to pay attention this. There is a message for you. If you have an unusual sighting of an animal,
pay attention to that too. I look up
that animal or insect at this site http://www.starstuffs.com/animal_totems/index.html.

Last week I found a large centipede hiding under a paper cup
in my basement bathroom. To be honest, I
am not over fond of bugs especially if they end up inside my home. So I ran the water over it but it was too big
to go down the drain. So I continued to
run the water and captured it in a cup and tossed it outside. Hey, at least I didn’t kill it! I quickly looked up what a centipede meant
here it said,

“Movement into new
psychic connections and relationships. Protection against psychic deceptions.
Balance, coordination, ability to survive stress, the beauty of coordinated
movement.”

So what do I do with this piece of information? I try to understand how this animal sighting
is significant in my life now. Sometimes
it doesn't make sense right away, so I file it away and take a look at it
later. That’s the way Spirit works, you
have to pay attention, make note of it and eventually it will make sense. Like putting puzzles pieces together.

Today I had the privilege of meeting my animal totem, a
black bear. I was doing a guided
meditation as part of an online course called Find Your Calling in the Akashics
(you can find this course on the www.dailyom.com).
My animal totem was supposed to appear out of the forest and there it
was, a black bear. I asked the bear its
name and it said Mario. He told me that
he is my animal totem because he is a combination of ferociousness and
nurturing. Do I know exactly what this
means? Not really. Could it be referring to me? Possibly.
According to my animal totem website, a bear represents:

“Sub/Unconscious mind, strength, grounding, inner energy of
soul to find answers, judgments, are you too critical or not critical enough,
inner power to taste the honey of life. Bear teaches caution, quiet of the mind
and silence within. There is great power in introspection which awakens
insights and opportunities. Bears teach leadership, natural healing abilities
and defending when necessary. Are you eating a balanced diet? Utilizing your
intuition? Being cautious? Brown, black or white, what does the color say to
you? Bear will show how to balance and express oneself.”

Isn't it amazing how one animal can represent so many things
and deliver such a detailed message? So
pay attention to the animals that appear in your life, look up their significance
and learn from the messages they are giving you!